Method of and apparatus for cleaning pipes



June 2, 1942. 1.. w. GRAYSQN 2,285,157.

` METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PIPES y Filed May 17, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 1 fom m MV nog u. m

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June 2, 1942. L.. w. GRAYsoN METHOD oF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING` PIrEs Filed May 1v, 1940 4'sheets-sheet 2 SETI.

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June 2,1942. L'. w. GRAYSON 2,285,151

METHOD oF AND APPARATUSl FRV CLEANING PIPEs Filed May 17', 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 y NVN June 2, 1942.

L. w. GRAYsoN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PIPES Filed May 17, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 2, 1942 METlHoD F AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PIPEs Lauren W. Grayson, Riverside, Calif. Application May 17, 1940, Serial No. 335,857

. ence being had to the accompanying drawings, in

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a methodof and apparatus or machine for automatically cleaning the interior'of Water or otherpipes or similar surfaces. f

Y One object of theV invention'is toprovide a simple, reliable fandeiiicient type of machine which may be operative within a tube or pipe to direct a blast of grit,` shot or abrasive material-,against the interior of the pipe, whereby the latter may be quickly and eflciently cleaned.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus of this character vwhich is motor propelled and provided with a rotatlable nozzle, also motor propelled, for projecting a blast or stream of the abrasive material againstthe surface of thepipe.

tion.

which:

' Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus of the character described embodying my inven- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus.' Figs. 3 and 4 are front and side views of parts of the structure showing elements of the gear- A son furtherobject of the invention is to providea` machine or apparatus of this character embodying va carriage, motor driven means for operating the carriage to propel it backward and forward, and motor driven means forV operating the rotating blast nozzle,-the motors and the driving means being separate from and independent of each other so that the speed of travel .of lthe machine and its direction of movement and the operation of the blast nozzle may be independently controlled to give the best working results.

A still further object of me invention is to' provide novel means` for controlling the supply of air under pressure to a hopper .containing the abrasive material and also supplying air under pressure to` feed the material to and through the blast nozzle, combined with means whereby thev pressures may be regulated to secure thebest Working results.

A still further ,ob-ject of the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus which isefficient y in action, capable of being used in pipes or tubes ofcornparatively small diameter, and adapted to be manufactured, sold and operated at a com paratively `10W cost.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a 'novel method of .conveying abrasive or like cleaning material through a pipe and blasting the interiorsurfaces of the pipe therewith'and controlling the blasting action to vary the f orce or intensity of the treatment as occasion may require to secure an eflicient cleansing action. y f

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully vdescribed and claimed, refers ing for propelling theapparatus.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on an enlarged scale through the apparatus takenon the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional plan view of a part of the apparatus showing particularly the gearing for propelling theapparatus and rotating the nozzle. n I

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus showing particularly the air supplying means.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged View through the nozzle.

Fig. l0 is 'a section on line I--I of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of a pipe illustrating the mode of use of the apparatus therein. y

Fig. 12A is a cross-section on line l2-l2 of Fig. 11. Y

Fig. 13 is a crosssecticn on line I3-l3 of Fig. 11.

. Referring now more particularly to the drawings, A designates anapparatus embodying my invention, which comprises a base frame or carriage I mounted for travel on front and rear longitudinal sectional sets of supporting wheels 2, 2 and 3, 3', car

Hed-respectively by xedaxle spindles 4, 4 and These wheels are arranged at a proper angle of inclination to support the machine for travel within' the pipe which is to be cleaned.

Mounted upon the frame are motors 'l and 8 arranged side by side at or near the `rear end of the `frame. The motors shown are of electrical type, but internal combustion or other motors may be employed. The motors are provided respectively with control devices 9 and IB for governing the speed of operation of their shafts Il and I2, and each motor may be provided with a control device I3 for governing its action to drive its shaft forwardly or rearwardly or to stop the motion of the shaft at will. The machine is adapted to be driven forwardly or rearwardly by means of suitable reduction gearing driven bythe shaft ll from the motor 1, to propel the machine at a desired slow speed.

' wheels 2, 2', as wheel 2 on the shaft 4', whereby the machine may be propelled backwardly or forwardly.

Supported on the machine in advance of the motors 1 and 8 is a hopper or receptacle 24 to contain the cleansing or coating material. This hopper is of pressure-sealed type and supported on frame members or pedestals 25 carried by the base frame or carriage I. The hopper is provided at its top with a lling opening 26 through which the cleaning material may be introduced thereinto and which is adapted to be normally closed by a sealing cover` 21 and valve 28. The cover 21 is detachably secured in position by bolts or other fastening members 29 and is provided with an opening therein adapted to be closed by the sealing valve 28, whereby any desired pressure may be maintained in the hopper` and the pressure regulated or varied as occasion requires for a proper working operation. The valve 28 is coupled to a bell crank lever 30 connected with va rearwardly extending operating or control rod 3| having a handle 32 suitably arranged at the rear of the frame whereby the operator may open or close the valve as and when required. The hopper communicates at'its bottom with a mixing or outlet chamber 33, communication between the two being provided by a restricted passage through which the material under pressure within the hopper may feed to the chamber for discharge. Hose pipes 34 and 35 communicate at their forward ends with the hopper 24 and the rear of the chamber 33 respectively for the supply of air under a desired working pressure thereto. These pipes communicate at their rear ends with the branches of a 35, whereby the amount of air supplied to each pipe S4 or 35 may be independently governed or the supply of air to either of said pipes cut off without cutting off the supply of air to the other pipe. The air supplied by the pipe 34 to the hopper 24 places the material therein under presf sure for discharge to the chamber'33, the pressure in the hopper 24 being controlled by the regulation of supply through pipe 34 by proper manipulation of valve 39 when occasion requires, while the air supplied by pipe 35 to the chamber 33 operates to force the material from said chamber to a hose pipe 4| leading to a rotating distributor nozzle 42. The pipe 4| includes or is provided with an inlet nozzle 43 which communicates with the chamber 33 and is supported by the hopper frame or pedestal 25 so as to be fixed in position. From this nozzle 43 the distributor hose or pipe 4| extends in the form of a loop 44 toandcommunicates at its delivery end with the rear end of a hollow stationary shaft 0r noz,-

zle carrier pipe 45, to the forward end of which the nozzle 42 is attached. The pipe 45 is fixedly supported on a standard or pedestal 46 extending upwardly from the base frame or carriage at the front'l of the machine and has journaled thereon a collar or head 41 to which is fastened one end of a bracket plate 48 having a suitable bearing 49 at its free end in which the outer end of the nozzle 42 is confined. The bracket 48 extends on a desired arc of curvature and the nozzle 42, which may be of exible construction or have its body portion formed of hose piping, is correspondingly curved, allowing it to flex in accordance with the travel of the bracket 48, the curvature of the bracket and nozzle being such as to provide for the proper discharge of the cleaning material against the walls of the pipe as the nozzle is rotated.

The shaft I2 of the motor 8 carries a spur pinion 56 which meshes with a spur gear 5| on a nozzle drive shaft 52 which in turn carries a pinion 53 meshing with a spur gear 54 on a counter-shaft 55 whereby said counter-shaft is driven through the reduction gearing thus provided at a lower speed than the motor shaft I2. The counter-shaft 55 is connected by a transmission shaft 56 with a driven shaft 51, arranged out of alinement with the shaft 55 but parallel therewith, Jthe shaft 51 being universally jointed, as at 58, at its opposite ends with the shafts 55 and 56. The shaft 51 is journaled in bearings on the pedestals 25 and 46 and carries a sprocket wheel 59 connected by a chain 60 with a sprocket wheel 6| on the collar or head 41 of the nozzle whereby motion will be transmitted from shaft 51 to the nozzle carrier shaft and nozzle to rotate said nozzle in a path generally at right angles to the line of travel of the vehicle and in a circular path to cause the cleaning material to be directed therefrom against the inner surface of the pipe 6 to be cleaned, whereby an effective cleaning action will be obtained.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the machine is designed to travel, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, through the water conducting, sewer or other pipe 6 to be cleaned. The cleaning material, which may be shot, sand, or any kind of abrasive material or mixture of abrasive materials, is stored under pressure in the hopper 24, from which it feeds to the mixing chamber 33, from which it is forced by pressure supplied through the pipe 35 to the pipe 4| which conducts it to the nozzle 42. The material in the hopper 24 may be kept under any desired or suitable forcing pressure, and clischarged from the chamber 33 under pressure from pipe 35 conforming to that in the hopper, so that a pressure balance for a proper feeding of the material will be maintained. As the material discharges from the nozzle 42, whose delivery end is rotated in close contact with the pipe, the force with which it is discharged causes a rapid and clear removal of all foul or foreign substances from the interior surface of the pipe 6. In practice, the position of the nozzle as it revolves with respect to the interior surface of the pipe 6, may be regulated, as by the use of a properly curved nozzle, or by the use of cams or other devices which will automatically adjust the nozzle or may be controlled by the operator to adjust the nozzle to move at a determined distance from the surface of the pipe 6, so that a pipe of any diameter or cross-sectional shape may be efliciently cleaned. As the machine travelS through the pipe its rapidity of travel, as well as the rapidity of rotation of the nozzle, may be governed by properly controlling-the working actions of the motors, and the cleaning action may 'be further regulated and controlled by regulating fil of the pipe. In the use'of shot or like material as an abrasive material, the discharged material may,` as stated, be kept confined by the use of a partial bulkhead disposed at a suitable distance,

l from time to time, ahead of the machine asit travels, so that the discharged material may be accumulated and fed for reuse back into the hopper, thus allowing an apparatus of this character chine approaches the bulkhead it may be stopped and the abrasive material shovele'd back into the hopper to be used again. In a normal operation in pipes of a diameter of twenty inches or more, that is, sufficiently large to accommodate workmen, workmen who travel with the machine inside the pipe regulate the speed and flow of the abrasive material or mixture and refill the hopper from time to time as it becomesempty. If

desired, a lighttrailer A2 may .be attached to the rear of the carriage or frame I to 'serve as a support on which the operator may ride as the machine travels through the pipe. In practice, two men r1ay`be employed within the pipe to operate the machine; an operator who regulates the speed and flow of the abrasive materials and a loader who rells the hopper from time to time as it becomes necessary, the operator being transported on the referred to trailer, while the loader works in front of the machine. As stated, the cleansing material employed may be sand, shot -ofV suitable size, or any other suitable kind of abrasive material or a mixture of such Inaterials, and the machine may be built of such Y or other pipes of any diameter in use may be cleansed by means of this machine. `In the event that the pipe to be cleaned is too small forthe entrance and travel therein of the complete machine, provision may be made for mounting the rotating nozzle alone for travel in the pipe and Amotion may be transmitted tothe machine and the material supplied to the nozzle through power and material supply conductors leading from the outside of the pipe. As is well known, the cleanstream of abrasive material under air pressure may be supplied to the interior of pipe lines automatically through simple operations easily controlled and whereby the amount of time and cost for labor and materials will be considerably reduced below that involved in hand operations of the character referred to. It is to be understood,

' of course, that the machine may also be used for coating the interior of pipes with protective materials of the character specified by simply substituting for the hopper 24 a chamber or reservoir to contain the cement, paint, enamel or other protective material to be dispensed, which l may be discharged by air pressure in the manner herein set forth or by equivalent pumping means through the discharge nozzleto coat the interior to be operated with great economy.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction, mode of operation and advantages of my improved automatic pipe cleaning or coating machine will be readily understood without a further and extended description and it will be seen that the invention provides a machine of this character which is comparatively simple of construction and which may be conveniently operated at low cost. While the structural organization disclosed is preferred, it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts may be resorted to, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven means vfor propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be dis-v charged therefrom, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, means including a Conductor connecting the hopper with the nozzle for feeding the material under pressure from the hopper to the nozzle and discharging the same from the latter, 'and motor driven means mounted on the carriage separate from and independent of the conductor for rotating the blast nozzle.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven means for propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be discharged therefrom, said hopper having a iilling inlet, a discharge outlet and a removal closure for the inlet having a vent port therein, a manually operable valve controlling said port, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, means for supplying air under pressure to the hopper to place the material therein under pressure, a feed conductor leading from the outlet of the hopper to the blast nozzle, means for supplying air under pressure to the conductor to force the material from the hopper to the nozzle and discharge the material through the nozzle, Iand motor driven means on the carriage separate from and independent of said conductor for rotating the blast nozzle.

3.` An apparatus ,of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven l means for propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be dis charged therefrom, said hopper having a filling inlet, a discharge outlet, a sealing closure for the filling inlet, means for supplying air under presl sure to the hopper, means for supplying air under pressure to the discharge outlet, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, a conductor connecting said nozzle with the hopper outlet, means whereby the air pressure in the hopper may be regulated with respect to the air pres. surersupplied at the discharge outlet, and motor driven means on the carriage separate from and independent of the conductor for rotating the blast nozzzle.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising aV traveling carriage, motordriven y means for propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be discharged therefrom, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, means including a conductor connecting the hopper with the blast nozzle for feeding the material under pressure from the hopper to the nozzle and discharging the same from the latter, a pair of motors on the carriage, gearing driven by yone of the motors for propelling the carriage, and gearing mounted independent of said conductor and driven by the other motor for rotating the blast nozzle.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven means for propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be discharged therefrom, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, means for supplying air under discharging pressure to the hopper to place the material therein under pressure, a feed conductor leading from the outlet of the hopper to the blast nozzle, means for supplying air under pressure to the conductor to force the material as it issues from the outlet of the hopper to the nozzle and discharge the material through the nozzle, a pair of motors on the carriage, gearing driven by one of the motors for propelling the carriage, and gearing mounted independent of said feed conductor and driven by the other motor for rotating the blast nozzle.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven means for propelling the carriage, a hopper on the carriage for containing material to be discharged therefrom, said hopper having a filling inlet, a discharge outlet, a feed `conductor leading from said outlet, a sealing closure for the filling inlet, means for supplying air under pressure to the hopper to place the material therein under discharging pressure, means for supplying air under pressure to the discharge outlet to force the material as it issues from the outlet through the feed conductor, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage and communicating with said feed conductor, a manually operable valve controlling the pressure whereby the air pressure in the hcpper may be regulated with respect to the air pressure supplied at the discharge outlet, a pair of motors on the carriage, gearing driven by one of the motors for propelling the carriage, and gearing mounted independently of the feed conductor and driven by the other motor for rotating the blast nozzle. l

7. An apparatus of the character described comprising a traveling carriage, motor driven means for propelling the carriage, a'hopper on the carriage for containing material to be discharged therefrom, a rotary blast nozzle mounted on the carriage, means including a conductor cone necting the hopper with the blast nozzle for feeding the material under pressure from the hopper to the nozzle and discharging the same from the latter, and means mounted independent of the conductor and independent of the carriage propelling means for rotating the blast nozzle.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling carriage, a hopper on the carriage, a

hollow xed shaft supported on the carriage, a flexible discharge nozzle having an inlet end connected to and communicating with said shaft, a

Jbearing member rotatable about said shaft, a

bracket arm connecting said bearing member with the discharge end of the nozzle, a material feed conductor leading from the hopper to the hollow shaft, and gearing connected to said bearing member for rotating the same and effecting the transmission of rotary motion through the bracket arm to the discharge end of the discharge nozzle.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling carriage, a hopper on the carriage, a fixed hollow shaft mounted on the carriage and communicating with the hopper, a supporting collar or head journaled thereto, a bracket carried by said collar or head, a discharge nozzle connected at its inlet end to and communicating with the shaft and connected at its outlet end to and supported by the collar or head to rotate therewith, and gearing connected to said collar for rotating the same and the discharge nozzle.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling carriage, a hoppercn the carriage, a fixed hollow shaft mounted on the carriage in advance of the hopper, a discharge nozzle communicating with and rotatable about said shaft, a material feed conductor leading from the hopper to the hollow shaft for the supply of material from the hopper to the hollow shaft and thence to the nozzle in rear of the hopper, a motor on the carriage, a nozzle driving shaft on the carriage extending partly beneath the hopper and partly in advance of the hopper, gearing between said shaft and the nozzle, a transmission shaft on the carriage in rear of the hopper, gearing between the motor and the transmission shaft, and a shaft arranged at an angle to the nozzle driving and transmission shaft and universally jointed thereto.

11. A method of cleaning the interior surfaces of pipes comprising: providing a rapidly moving stream of air and directing said stream of air in a blast against said surfaces at an angle to cause said air to ow along said pipe in a direction away from the point at which said blast was produced; causing said blasting operation to progress in the aforesaid direction along said pipe; feeding shot or the like into said air stream closely adjacent to the aforesaid point; disposing a barrier in the pipe at a point in advance of the blasting operation being conducted so as to bank the shot being fed into said air stream after blasting contact with the pipe surfaces, and collecting the banked spent shot.

l2. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling carriage, a hopper on the carriage, a stationary hollow shaft on the carriage, a material feed conductor leading from the hopper to the hollow shaft, a bearing member mounted to rotate about the hollow shaft, a material discharge nozzle in communication with the hollow shaft and supported for rotation by and with said bearing member, and motor driven gearing separate from and independent of said conductor for rotating said bearing member and nozzle.

LAUREN Vl'. GRAYSON. 

